Roku is quietly making a gift of a free HDMI accent

What I actually like about streaming sticks isn’t just their affordability, but additionally how straightforward they’re to arrange. Particularly, with Amazon’s Fireplace TV Sticks and Roku’s Streaming Sticks, all it’s important to do is plug the stick into your TV’s HDMI port, join it to energy, and observe the simple on-screen directions to set it up. Then, growth, inside minutes of unboxing, you could be streaming.

That stated, there’s one small distinction within the setup between an Amazon Fireplace TV Stick and a Roku Streaming Stick — and whereas it will not matter to everybody, it is nonetheless price declaring. Amazon features a free HDMI extender within the field with all of its Fireplace TV Sticks, whereas Roku does not.

If you happen to’re not acquainted with what an HDMI extender does, it is a brief cable that sits between your streaming stick and your TV’s HDMI port. The extender plugs into your TV’s HDMI port, with the streaming stick connecting to the opposite finish, making a little bit of house between your TV and the gadget. So in case your TV’s HDMI port is awkward to succeed in or too near different ports to plug the stick in straight, the additional room the extender creates makes the stick simpler to entry — and in some circumstances, it will probably even enhance its efficiency thanks to higher airflow.

Nevertheless, whereas Roku does not embody a free HDMI extender within the field whenever you purchase one in all its streaming sticks — just like the Roku Streaming Stick or Roku Streaming Stick Plus — that does not imply you may’t nonetheless get one totally free. As an alternative of together with it with each gadget, Roku presents HDMI extenders at no further price to customers who want them (through Cord Cutter News). All it’s important to do is request one, and Roku will mail it out to you freed from cost.

The right way to get a free HDMI extender from Roku

You simply have to fill out a brief on-line kind

Fortunately, making use of for a free HDMI extender from Roku is straightforward and requires solely filling out a short online form. It is price noting that you’ll want to personal a Roku Streaming Persist with qualify for the free HDMI extender. With that in thoughts, earlier than you get began with the shape, you have to to seek out your Roku’s serial quantity. There are a couple of methods to seek out it.

The best manner is to examine the again of your Roku Streaming Stick, the place the serial quantity is often labeled “SN:” (as seen within the picture above).

Alternatively, in case you use the Roku cellular app, you may go to the Units web page, faucet the three dots subsequent to your streaming stick, and choose View System Information to seek out the serial quantity. Or, you could find it straight in your TV by going to the Roku dwelling display screen and choosing Settings > System > About. From there, you will see the serial quantity listed under the mannequin title.

Now that you’ve got your serial quantity, head to https://my.roku.com/hdmi. Then, merely fill out the shape on Roku’s web site that asks to your delivery particulars and your gadget’s serial quantity, and Roku will mail you an HDMI extender freed from cost.

Roku’s strategy is totally different from Amazon’s

For higher or worse

Roku’s strategy to HDMI extenders is noticeably totally different from Amazon’s. The upside for Roku is that it cuts prices and is extra environmentally pleasant by not together with an HDMI extender within the field of all its streaming sticks. The draw back, in fact, is that if somebody does find yourself needing one, they’re now caught ready for it to be mailed to them.

To be truthful to Roku, its newest streaming sticks are fairly slim, so most individuals possible will not run into points the place it does not match and would wish an HDMI extender within the first place. That stated, as somebody who usually makes use of a Fire TV Stick 4K Max, I exploit the free HDMI extender that got here with it just because it makes the gadget simpler to succeed in, so I can see how it will be helpful if Roku included it within the field, because it provides individuals the choice whether or not they wish to use it or not.

All in all, when you’ve got a Roku Streaming Stick and wish an HDMI extender, Roku makes it pretty straightforward to request one and have it shipped to you totally free. Although it’s admittedly much less handy than Amazon’s strategy, the place an HDMI extender merely comes within the field with each Fireplace TV Stick. If you happen to already know you will want an HDMI extender, you may be higher off with a Fireplace TV Stick than a Roku. However in case you do not care about having one — or know you will not want it — then this actually is not a giant deal to request one totally free as an alternative of getting it within the field.